hostile witness
Britishnoun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
McDonald got combative on the stand and told the court to treat him as a "hostile witness" over his refusal to answer some questions.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Murphey would have still refused to testify and become a hostile witness.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2023
Prosecutors consider McConney a reluctant witness, and had sought unsuccessfully that he be declared a hostile witness so they could question him more aggressively.
From Reuters ● Nov. 10, 2022
Tracey Westerhausen, a registered Democrat and defense lawyer who said she has faced Mitchell in 30 cases, recalled a time when a hostile witness broke out in a coughing fit as Mitchell examined him.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2018
It included a list of specimen arguments, explained how an audience could be swayed, and discussed everything from how to discredit a hostile witness to how best to modulate your voice when speaking.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
